Always ask your doctor what you should or should not take. However, supplements are really not needed unless you have an extremely poor diet. Potassium is common in many foods including bananas and potatoes as well as most all other fruits and vegetables. If your doctor recommends a supplement, consider enhancing your diet with supplement rich foods instead. Your body processes all vitamins and minerals best in their natural forms. It's easier to measure a supplement than the food you consume. So, prescribing a supplement is easier (better) for the doctor but not necessarily you.

Keetie

I was on a diuretic and have not had to take a Potassium supplement but I have had to increase my blood tests to ensure its not decreasing. However I did have some issues with sun exposure. I begun using lotions with sun protection because of dark spots on my face. Since that time I only take the diuretic periodically (my Rx was for swelling in the legs)--and got med from the dermatologist for the spots.

searching for friends

depending on the strength of the Lasix
I know that when I take a diuretic I take a Potassium supplement just to make sure there are no problems....too much Potassium is just as bad as not enough so I would recommend you ask his doctor

grayure

Not if it's a Potassium-sparing diuretic or has Potassium included. It should tell you on the advice leaflet. Lasix is not Potassium-sparing, so unless it has it included, the answer is yes.

Gordon C

In general no

In years gone by when I first started out in medicine we used to put everyone who took Lasix onto a Potassium supplement.

Current medical advice is that this is not required for most people.

He needs to have his Potassium level checked from time to time (probably initially about two weeks after starting Lasix) and his doctor will then make a judgement from there. Some people do need a small amount of Potassium, most dont

Hope this helps

Gordon

Joe M

Yes, Lasix causes KCL (potassium Chloride) loss. Shame on the physician and pharmacist for not doing appropriate teaching. If your husband's serum (blood) KCL was high short term is OK. Long term (> 2 weeks) can mean cardiac problems and lethargy. KCK is an electrolyte necessary for electioncal conduction of heart and nerve impulses. Anyone on term long Lasix must have regular blood draws to monitor KCL. This is very basic medical knowledge, his MD is in error. In the mean time eat bananas , high in KCL.

makeitright

If your doctor prescribed a Potassium supplement, then yes. Talk to your husband's doctor for the amount of Potassium supplement he will need. Lasix is a strong diuretic. I would not attempt to instruct you on something the doctor has prescribed for your husband. You need to ask the doctor.

Haliman S

Most diuretics enhances the excretion of Potassium if given in large dosages. In lower dosages, the diuretics users are simply recommended to eat more vegetables and fruits because they contain a lot of Potassium.
Certain diuretics have Potassium sparing effect. Taking extra Potassium pills may even end up in hyperpotassemia (hyperkalemia)

mutantalbino

I take Lasix and also take a Potassium supplement. Your doctor should be doing regular blood tests to check his Potassium level.

Bananas have a lot of Potassium. My father takes Lasix and eats one a day per doctors orders. He does not take Potassium. A banana has about 450 mg of Potassium. My prescription pills have 1000mg to give you and idea.

If he gets leg cramps or simply a sick feeling in his calf muscles pour on the bananas AND call the doctor. My experience with cramps is to wake up with my toes pointed straight out, screaming. ( I'm not talking about a little twinge when I say cramp)

phlada64

There are some of the diuretics that contain their own Potassium, but yes, no matter what, if you do take something that makes you urinate more than usual, you need to replace the Potassium that's lost. You can just eat foods high in Potassium, but if you're watching your weight, a supplement may work out better. Consult the doctor and ask him to recommend the best supplement for your husband. You might want to ask the doctor about Maxide.

alcaholicdemon

yes he does,the water pill depletes the Potassium level i n the blood witch can cause your heart to skip beats. my Dr. jumped all over me about not taking my Potassium pill,she said one of her patients died from an irregular heart beat because of not taking his pill.

Rachel C

Lasix is classified as a "loop diuretic". Loop diurectics work in the kidney to promote water loss into the urine, thereby decreasing pressure in the bloodstream (lowering BP).

Here is the in-depth answer to your question:

Before leaving the body, urine flows through tubules in the kidney that take things out and secrete things into the urine to be passed out of the body. In the area of the kidney known as the thick ascending loop of Henle, there is a transporter called the Na+/K+/2Cl- symporter (the sodium-Potassium-chloride symporter). Its job is to take sodium and Potassium back up out of the urine and to secrete chloride into it.
When you take a loop diuretic such as Lasix, it blocks this transporter, causing more sodium and Potassium to stay in the urine. The high sodium levels in the urine draw water out of the blood and into the urine, thus causing water to be passed out of the body. However, when you increase sodium excretion, you also increase Potassium excretion. This is why people taking loop diuretics, and some other classes of diuretics, need to take Potassium supplements.

The side effects and risks of having low Potassium include: muscle cramps, heart arrhythmias, constipation, nausea and vomitting, abdominal cramping, depression, and others.

So the simple answer: yes, he probably should be on a diuretic for as long as he takes the diuretic. If he stops taking Lasix or takes a different type of diuretic, he may not need to take it any longer and should ask his pharmacist.